UCE to BCU is official

[SimonTheSoundMan]

Just had this in an e-mail:

A new name for the University – and new developments for you

Your University is going through a period of exciting growth and development, which includes a change of name to Birmingham City University. When you come in or log on, on Monday 1st October you will see the first new signs going up.

The University has done well under its University of Central England title, though we have huge ambitions for the future.

Through our research and consultation exercise, we have confirmed that by using the shorter, stronger title of Birmingham City University, we will have a more recognisable and powerful name that will give us a much stronger identity in the market place. We believe that we will all benefit if the University is more easily recognised for its achievements by using a shorter, stronger name.

This is a name that clearly identifies both our status and location in Birmingham and also chimes well with our mission to be a centre of excellence in learning, creativity and enterprise, promoting economic, social and cultural well being.

Importantly, we believe that we will all benefit – including past, current and new students – by adopting a title that ensures the University and its achievements are more widely and easily recognised.

It will obviously take a while for our new name and new identity to be applied across all areas but we are sure that it will soon become familiar and a welcome asset to the University’s image.

University Awards

Students graduating after September re-sits this year will graduate under the UCE name – the name of the University throughout all their time here. All UCE award holders will be able to obtain a certificate linking their UCE award with Birmingham City University.

Students graduating from January 1st 2008 will have an award from Birmingham City University.

All award holders will be able to state on their CVs that they obtained an award from the University of Central England (now Birmingham City University), making it clear that the two institutions are the same. We will make sure that references and confirmation of awards for employers, from the University, also make the link between the two institutions clear.

The University’s Future

As one of our many ambitions, our long-term estates plan will create a major new city centre campus at Eastside, near Millennium Point and we are committed to further investment at Perry Barr and Westbourne Road, to improve and enhance facilities at both campuses. We will be investing £250 million in new student facilities, which will include social and recreational developments at all three sites. These will include a new gym and sports hall at Perry Barr by summer 2009, as well as new IT and learning and teaching improvements.

We are committed to taking the University forward in a new direction and the quality of your student experience is of paramount importance to these plans. We will work in partnership with the Student Union who will be involved in all relevant committees, helping us to achieve and deliver our vision. We will also keep in regular communication with you all as we move forward, letting you know what’s happening and how the plans are progressing.

To help us, we have introduced new ways of keeping in touch with you this year:

● Digital signage screens will be installed in all buildings to relay course and Faculty information as well as messages about the University
● You will access the new student intranet every time you log on and that will broadcast messages and news items of interest to all students
● Your University e-mail address is being updated so that it will be easier for you to remember and use
● We will be using your e-mail to send information and messages to you
● We will publish newsletters giving news and updates on our development plans

Of course, we do hope that you will continue to let us know your views on the new developments, through your elected Student Representatives and the Student Union as well as student surveys.

[feltip]

Congratulations.

You have a fairly new VC so its all go with BCU.
The email also solves the issue of the person graduating. At least they have outlined what theyr'e doing as it's never fun going to a university midway between name change if employers don't understand it.

Any ideas on a logo?

[SimonTheSoundMan]

Funny thing is, they have just put up all new UCE logos at Millennium Point on Friday. Haven't seen the new logo yet.

[feltip]

I wouldn't worry, it will probably take all year for them to finish changing logos. Birmingham went through the same thing last year, still a few odd things with old bastardised crest on them.

[NeilM]

Aston is also changing it's signage within the next year, new logo etc.

[feltip]

Ooh interesting. I wonder what they will go for. The triangle has been quite recognisable. Nothing like a good rebrand.

[JayPeeDee]

I would be so disappointed with an Aston Villa University. They chose well...

[Stusy]

I'm being a bit snobbish here, I went to Uni of Bham, and not happy at the prospect of people confusing it with Birmingham City Uni.

[Telfordboy]

Originally Posted by Stusy

I'm being a bit snobbish here, I went to Uni of Bham, and not happy at the prospect of people confusing it with Birmingham City Uni.

You mean the same way Oxford and Oxford Brookes are confused?

[feltip]

Originally Posted by Stusy

I'm being a bit snobbish here, I went to Uni of Bham, and not happy at the prospect of people confusing it with Birmingham City Uni.

I wouldn't worry about that. If you say you went to Birmingham University most people know you mean University of Birmingham.

I once said I was at Birmingham University and the person I was speaking said 'the proper one', lol.

No chance of getting the two muddled up.

[ShavenHeaden]

Dear god the snobbishness! No wonder people hate students! No offence to the UoB people here but it really does make you sound incredibly patronising, by worrying that you'll somehow be associated with BCU - heaven forfend!

I feel rather shallow that I'm mainly awaiting the new logo. Still would've preferred Metropolitan, but what the hell say do I have anyway.

[Stusy]

Guess I can no longer say I went to Bham Uni, to avoid the confusion, will have to say University of Birmingham. Actually I do have a mate who went to Oxford Brookes, who does like to tell people he went to Oxford, and only adds the Brookes bit if asked to elaborate.

[Telfordboy]

Cheeky git. If I had gone to Brum uni I would always say the University of Birmingham anyway.

As it is I went to Birmingham City Uni

[mk61]

Oh its a shame - Birmingham City University. Birmingham Met just sounds so much better. Might have well just changed the 'England' bit in UCE to Birmingham. UCB.

[Erebus555]

How about... University of Solihull and Birmingham (USB) and then we build a space travel terminal there and called it the 'USB port'?




...OK maybe not.

[mk61]

Now try coming up with an acronym of Firewire

[SimonTheSoundMan]

[mk61]

Is that official or from the wish list?

[SimonTheSoundMan]

Found it on wikipedia so could be true, or not.

Anchor would have been nice.

[mk61]

Could be worse as it is. Anchor would have been pretty cool though, yes.